West Valley League well represented in City girls’ volleyball playoffs

In order for Chatsworth or Granada Hills – West Valley League co-champs – to reach the City Section girls’ volleyball final Nov. 22, one team will likely have to defeat the other in order to do so.

Although defending-champion Palisades of Pacific Palisades received the top seed in the 32-team playoff draw when the pairings were determined Tuesday at Hamilton High, the next five spots belonged to local teams, including three West Valley representatives.

Granada Hills received the No. 2 seed, followed by Chatsworth, after the teams split their regular-season matches, both teams winning in five games on their opponent’s home court.

Van Nuys won the East Valley League title and Sylmar captured the Valley Mission championship. Birmingham of Lake Balboa received the No. 10 seed, with Poly of Sun Valley at No. 12, with all of the aforementioned teams playing first-round home matches Thursday.

In the 12-team small-school bracket, Elizabeth Learning Center received the top seed, followed by Foshay Learning Center, Northridge Academy and Sherman Oaks Center for Enriched Studies of Reseda.

Losing never felt so good for La Canada volleyball: Six local girls’ volleyball teams competed in the two-day Redondo Power Classic, and the coach of the area program that produced the worst record of the group was the happiest of them all Saturday.

La Canada, the top-ranked team in Southern Section Div. II-A, won once in four matches in the 16-team Red Division, but Spartans coach Brock Turner believed his team gained valuable experience with the postseason less than two weeks away.

“It was the best 1-3 tournament we’ve ever had,” Turner said. “I didn’t care that we were the No. 16 seed, it was a blessing for us to play this kind of competition. The La Costa Canyon match was the best we’ve played all year, but the best thing about facing them was they showed us our weaknesses, so now we have something to go back and work on in practice.”

La Costa Canyon of Carlsbad entered the tournament as the nation’s No. 1 team according to ESPN/Rise Magazine, but lost 25-21, 15-25, 25-21 in Saturday’s final to Santa Margarita. La Canada, which lost Saturday to Valencia in the 13th-place match, led La Costa Canyon 22-18 in the first game in Friday’s tournament opener, before falling 25-23, 25-15, 25-11.

Record-setting effort for Bauer: Paraclete of Lancaster sophomore Melissa Bauer began her run toward a return trip to the state cross country meet with her victory Monday at the Alpha League final at Pierce College.

Bauer set a league record of 18 minutes, 25seconds to lead the Spirits to the team title.

– Erik Boal

Finally getting his chance: After 11 years as a San Fernando baseball assistant, Eddie Alcantar was due for a head coaching job, and he has one at Grant High, taking over for Devin Eillsion, who has been at Grant for five years and will remain on campus as a teacher.

Bray denied: Canyon’s Antonio Bray’s football eligibility appeal has been denied, so the decision disallowing the running back to play for one full year because of a transfer violation will be upheld.

A little cleanup work: Matt Dominguez, the former Chatsworth standout infielder drafted in the first round of the 2007 Major League baseball draft, has undergone elbow surgery to remove bone chips from left (non-throwing) elbow. The rehab period is three to four weeks.

Heading to the land of lakes: College of the Canyons receiver Hayo Carpenter, a top JC recruit who played at Burroughs of Ridgecrest, has committed to Minnesota.